Volume 8 Chapter 5: Calculation Error

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Keith questioned as he saw how Krystal circled him. Any other time, he would be calm about this. However, they were walking on the streets right now.

"What are you made out of?" Krystal's curiosity was piqued as she continued to stare at the man. He was too abnormal, too different. How is this guy not tired? He had a boulder on top of his body as he trained. Yet, he's fine?!

That didn't make sense at all. This man did push-ups with a boulder on his body as if nothing was there. Plus, he sparred with all the knights as well! Yet, he was walking so normally as if it was any other day?!

"What kind of thing do you usually do at the Marquis's estate?" This kind of strength came from years of training. It was not something you gain from one month of training.

"I started training when I was three, and I've been sparring with the commander every time, so, yeah," Keith recounted his childhood.

"Wait, three?! Against the commander?!" Everything that he said in that one line was just wrong!

"What? You didn't start during that time?" Wasn't that the norm?

"No! I started when I was seven." Krystal didn't even get to spar with Sterling until a year later.

"Oh," Oh, yeah. I forgot that I'm an outlier. If Keith thought about it, starting at three would have been absurd. Leon and Laura were practicing right now after whining and begging William. They still haven't sparred with Michael yet. Everyone could tell they would be sent flying if they did.

"I guess I'm abnormal?"

"You think?!" Was that even a question?!

"Don't need to scream at me like that." Keith rubbed his ears. Krystal really wanted to chew him out when,

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"Ah! It's the young miss and her friend!"

"Hello, young miss!"

Krystal returned to a calm expression as she greeted, "Hello, everyone."

"Welcome home to the grand duke!" As the crowd cheered, Keith nudged her, "Happy that your home became better?"

"Mmhmm." Krystal nodded, "Rodrick messed it up. But now, it has become so much better." That was something she was glad about. Rodrick and his family had used all the merchants and tried to make her step down as the interim head. However, they didn't account for one person.

"You did so much work." Keith's White Owl Merchant Group had supplied the entire duchy to the point the citizens had no need to worry about supplies. That was absurd since he basically substituted multiple merchant groups.

"Just how many resources do you have to do something like that?" Even saying it was unbelievable. For him to supply the entire duchy while also supplying the northern region was insane.

"I have a lot of resources." Keith wasn't going to lie. In these few years, farms and gardens expanded. With so much, there was actually a surplus of it. The fruits, especially. He kinda miscounted and grew a little too many.

That was because of spoilage.

Spirit-infused fruits were not something to trifle with. They had a longer expiration date, and they didn’t get rotten. So there was a surplus there.

And there was a whole storage full of sugar. Sugar didn't have an expiration date, so it was always surplus. People in the northern region were in awe of sugar.

"Try it out."

Keith nodded as he peeled it, "It has a reddish clear flesh." This is definitely a fusion between the two. Biting into it,

What in the world?! A sweet and sour taste had filled his mouth!

"Delicious."

"I know, right?" Krystal grinned. This should be the only fruit that could compare to his garden's.

"…" What would it taste like in Diana's hands? Keith was quite eager to find out.

"Also, do you have mangos?"

"The regular ones?"

"…" So you do have some in this world.

"Are you sure you want it, good sir," The clerk asked, "They're really sour."

"I will take some." Keith nodded.

"So, you're going to grow it with Fira's help?" She knew about the small nature spirit's ability

"Mmhmm. It's going to be delicious." There was already no need to worry about anything.

"Let's return to the estate.." Keith nodded as he headed back. And when they did,

"Grand Duke, we apologize!"

"We were tempted by the count!"

"Please forgive us!"

"Let's keep ignoring them." Keith and Krystal didn't look at the people who were begging. Edmund and the rest of the knights were on clean-up duty. Everyone who had worked under Rodrick was fired or given severe warnings and demoted. But the ones who were getting hit the most were the merchants. They were being picked out like rotten apples.